Guitar
It was with a heavy heart that I learned my old friend Tony Robertson had passed away this past weekend. Tony succumbed to a bone marrow illness after a long and brave fight.
I first met Tony back in 1994 at the Fairview Pub in Vancouver. I had known of him for quite a while; he had been featured in the short-lived NightMoves magazine in 1988, only weeks after I had moved to town, but being the garage-rock obsessed little punk that I was, I didn't make it out to the blues joints for a few more years. Tony was a poised, economical player who could BURN when he decided to. His playing evolved considerably over the years I knew him, from a hard Texas blues sound, to a more traditional blues style, then a hard left turn to performing a Hendrix tribute.
Tony's band the Vaqueros were bar stalwarts around Vancouver, toured Western Canada, and made an album in the late 90s that was very well received and would be played for years after in the local blues bars.
Tony's greatest visibility at the national level probably came from touring with the late, great Long John Baldry. I remember feeling a blush of local pride turning the boob tube on 'Live from Cafe Campus' (a live blues show shot at Montreal's top blues club), and seeing Tony tearing it up with the iconic, literally towering figure of Long John. Tony would anchor the guitar chair with Baldry through the gentleman's final years.
Tony was also known as one of the long time soundmen at Vancouver's Yale Hotel, the premier club for blues in BC. Tony was unfailingly polite, professional, helpful and talented in that roll and I was always happy to know he was manning the soundboard when I was performing there.
He was also involved with the Kamloops Blues Society and was kind enough to bring me to town to play the local club. I was casting around for a fourth member for the band when the lightbulb went on: Tony would be at the club mixing, so why not put him to work on stage, too? Holy strings-a-fire, did we have a time that weekend! I was struck at how adept he was at staying out of the way of the arrangements, adding something meaningful to them, then burning the house down when it was solo time. We never had a chance to rekindle the flame we lit that weekend, and that's a shame, but I will be forever thankful that we had the opportunity and took it.
We'll miss you Tony.
If anyone has any photos of Tony they would like to share, please send them to [email protected] and I will post them here. Also, feel free to share memories, reflections, etc., in the comments section below.
- Music Man Stingray V De-fretting
I got a call the other day from Matt from the Auckland Rockshop - "can I de-fret a Music Man Stingray 5 string Bass for them?" Well in fact he said "what will it cost?". This is a job I do from time to time so I thought I'd write...
- Fantastic Video Clip Of Les Paul And Mary Ford
guitarz.blogspot.com: Tony writes: Take a look at this clip of Les Paul and Mary Ford playing their Les Pauls. Les has a typical LP with P90s. Mary's bridge pickup is different, though. It doesn't look like a P90. Is it missing? I can't quite...
- The Axis Connection . . . . . .
As I mentioned on the last post, I have managed to track down the designer and maker of the Axis circuit, Tony Koorlander. I asked him how he met Peter and how the collaboration came about. Tony and Peter have made contact again, after many years and...
- Modulus Graphite Fight 6
In the book Totally Guitar: The Definitive Guide by Tony Bacon / Dave Hunter (Thunder Bay Press 2004), there is this beautifully designed guitar, a 1983 Modulus Graphite Fight 6 Monocoque made of carbon graphite. Strangely I was unable to find any...
- Harmony H1215 Archtop Project At Gc On Rhode Island For $15
Apparently this guitar has "lots of damage" (though not much visible in the photo) and they are blowing it out at the Guitar Center in Rhode Island for only $14.97 - bizarre but could be a deal for a fixer-upper. Just call the Manager Tony Barber...
Guitar
Tony Robertson- Six Strings Down
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| Tony Robertson. We'll miss you, buddy. |
It was with a heavy heart that I learned my old friend Tony Robertson had passed away this past weekend. Tony succumbed to a bone marrow illness after a long and brave fight.
I first met Tony back in 1994 at the Fairview Pub in Vancouver. I had known of him for quite a while; he had been featured in the short-lived NightMoves magazine in 1988, only weeks after I had moved to town, but being the garage-rock obsessed little punk that I was, I didn't make it out to the blues joints for a few more years. Tony was a poised, economical player who could BURN when he decided to. His playing evolved considerably over the years I knew him, from a hard Texas blues sound, to a more traditional blues style, then a hard left turn to performing a Hendrix tribute.
Tony's band the Vaqueros were bar stalwarts around Vancouver, toured Western Canada, and made an album in the late 90s that was very well received and would be played for years after in the local blues bars.
Tony's greatest visibility at the national level probably came from touring with the late, great Long John Baldry. I remember feeling a blush of local pride turning the boob tube on 'Live from Cafe Campus' (a live blues show shot at Montreal's top blues club), and seeing Tony tearing it up with the iconic, literally towering figure of Long John. Tony would anchor the guitar chair with Baldry through the gentleman's final years.
Tony was also known as one of the long time soundmen at Vancouver's Yale Hotel, the premier club for blues in BC. Tony was unfailingly polite, professional, helpful and talented in that roll and I was always happy to know he was manning the soundboard when I was performing there.
He was also involved with the Kamloops Blues Society and was kind enough to bring me to town to play the local club. I was casting around for a fourth member for the band when the lightbulb went on: Tony would be at the club mixing, so why not put him to work on stage, too? Holy strings-a-fire, did we have a time that weekend! I was struck at how adept he was at staying out of the way of the arrangements, adding something meaningful to them, then burning the house down when it was solo time. We never had a chance to rekindle the flame we lit that weekend, and that's a shame, but I will be forever thankful that we had the opportunity and took it.
We'll miss you Tony.
If anyone has any photos of Tony they would like to share, please send them to [email protected] and I will post them here. Also, feel free to share memories, reflections, etc., in the comments section below.
- Music Man Stingray V De-fretting
I got a call the other day from Matt from the Auckland Rockshop - "can I de-fret a Music Man Stingray 5 string Bass for them?" Well in fact he said "what will it cost?". This is a job I do from time to time so I thought I'd write...
- Fantastic Video Clip Of Les Paul And Mary Ford
guitarz.blogspot.com: Tony writes: Take a look at this clip of Les Paul and Mary Ford playing their Les Pauls. Les has a typical LP with P90s. Mary's bridge pickup is different, though. It doesn't look like a P90. Is it missing? I can't quite...
- The Axis Connection . . . . . .
As I mentioned on the last post, I have managed to track down the designer and maker of the Axis circuit, Tony Koorlander. I asked him how he met Peter and how the collaboration came about. Tony and Peter have made contact again, after many years and...
- Modulus Graphite Fight 6
In the book Totally Guitar: The Definitive Guide by Tony Bacon / Dave Hunter (Thunder Bay Press 2004), there is this beautifully designed guitar, a 1983 Modulus Graphite Fight 6 Monocoque made of carbon graphite. Strangely I was unable to find any...
- Harmony H1215 Archtop Project At Gc On Rhode Island For $15
Apparently this guitar has "lots of damage" (though not much visible in the photo) and they are blowing it out at the Guitar Center in Rhode Island for only $14.97 - bizarre but could be a deal for a fixer-upper. Just call the Manager Tony Barber...